Safety-gate for street-cars



(No Model.)

P. C. CASH. SAFETY GATE EOE STREET GEES.

Patented Apr. 14, 1891. I

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FRANCIS C. CASH, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

SAFETY-GATE FOR STREET-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part 0f Letters Patent No. 450,556, dated April 14, 1891.

` Application filed September 4, 1890. Serial No. 363,926. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern,.-

Be a known that I, FRANCIS c. CASH, a ein! zen of the United States of America, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Gates for Street-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My said invention is designed to protect passengers in the ordinary street-railway cars and to prevent them from falling out when the cars are in motion. Itis designed for that class of cars in which the seats are placed transversely, as is the case with the ordinary summer-cars now commonly used on streetrailways. In cars of this class the sides are open and passengers, particularly children, are liable to fall or be thrown out when the cars are in motion, particularly when the car is passing a curve. The danger is increased on the cable or electric roads, on which the cars run around curves at a higher rate of vspeed than that of the ordinary horse-cars.

At the same time it is impracticable to have the ends of the seat-spaces entirely closed, and my invention is especially designed to provide a removable gate for each seat, so that at the will of the conductor or driver the side of the car or the spaces between the seats may be closed or opened as occasion may require. Obviously the purpose had in view requires that the spaces between all the seats should be thus closed for the better and more effectual carrying out of the said invention, and these gates which close the sides or spaces between the seats at the ends thereof should be under the control of the conductor or some other person having charge of the car.

For the purposes above specified my invention is made to consist of a series of movable gates arranged to be closed and obstruct the spaces between the seats at the ends thereof by mechanism within the control of the conductor or other attendant on the car.

I have shown in the accompanying drawings the means I have devised for carrying my said invention into practical use.

In the drawings, Figure l represents a side elevation of the car with the gates open. Fig. 2 shows the same with the gates closed. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an arrangement of the connections for the driver, gripman, or other attendant standing on the front of the car. Fig. 4t is a transverse section of one of the gates and its sliding connections.

In the drawings, A represents the body Aof an ordinary open car. The transverse seats are shown at B, and the sides of the car being open these seats are ordinarily accessible on the sides at any point, so that a passenger may step on or off at any point or place on the car. The same accessibility renders the passengerliable to fallout, as above explained. The safety-gates are shown at D. The spirit of my invention requires that these be movable at the will of the attendant, so that he may open them for the admission or exit of a passenger or close them and hold them closed.

These gates or the whole series of them may be arranged to move in various ways; but I have devised one which is simple and effective. In this the gates are mounted on a bar or series of connected blocks arranged to slide longitudinally of the car and carry in their movement all the gates, the movement being sufficient to shift the gates from a position between the seats or in the space between the seat ends to a position covering the seat ends, the former position closing and the latter opening the passage to the seats.

The gates B are made of any suitable material or dimensions. of a frame a, covered with woven wire. This forms alight and secure gate; but I do not confine myself to thisA The gate is IiXed each to a sliding block e, held by a dovetail tongue a in a corresponding groove t on the side of the car-body. The block projects to the outside and the gate is made to conform to the shape of the car-seat end, so that as it is moved aside to open the passage it shuts snugly againstor in front of the said seat end and the whole shows like an ordinary car. The blocks are connected to each other by means of rods b, so that all on one side move together in either direction. The reciprocating movement is just sufficient to bring the gates from the position last described to the position shown in Fig. 2, in which they close all the seats by shutting the passages thereto at the ends.

In order that this series of gates may be within the control of the proper attendant, I provide a cord or chain g, Fig. 2, which is attached to one end of the series of blocks, and

As shown, they consist- IOC thence runs over a pulley it, placed in line With the movement of the blocks and far enough away to allow sufficient movement. From this pulley the rope runs up to or near to the top of the car, thence over a pulley i', and back to the other end of the car over a pulley Z., and down and over a pulley m, and back to the other end of the series of blocks. Short ropes orstraps N may be attached to the main rope g about midway between the posts of the car-top and run to and over pulleys and down to Within reach of the conduct-or, so that he may move the gates at any point on the car. l contemplate also connecting the ends of the series of blocks and gates `with a shaft o at each end of the car, so .that the driver may operate the gates.

Ordinarily a set of gates will be required on each side of the car. These I connect to each other by means of a rope p, (shown at the right-hand end of the diagram, Fig. 3,) so

that both gates maybe moved together. This is not necessary where the gates are connected to the shafts 0, as shown at the left of Fig.

I do not limit myself to these details of construction shown, neither in the form ot the gates, their supports, nor in the means for moving them; nor is the invention necessarily confined to street-cars. but may be used on like vehicles.

In a su1n1ner-car a ru nning-board X is used .i

this the conductor passes at times to collect the fares. By my construction the ordinary use ot' this running-board is not interfered With, as the gates slide parallel with the running-board, and this does not interfere with persons standing thereon. There is no liability of accident in the operation of my gates.

l claiml. In a summer-car having transverse seats, the series of safety-gates, of about the height ot the seat, to close the transverse spaces, and a guideway extending longitudinally of the carbody on the outside7 the gates being supported at their lower ends only and held against lateral displacement by said guideway to slide longitudinally outside of the car and to fit over the seat ends parallel with the runningboard, substantially as described.

In a summer-car having transverse seats, the series of safety-gates extending up about the height of the seats and unsupported attheir upper ends, and means at the lower ends of the gates for connecting, sustaining, and guiding them, consisting of the connecting-bar, the blocks, and the dovetailed guide in Which said blocks slide, substantially as described.

ln testimony whereof I affix my signaturein presence ot' two witnesses.

FRANCIS C. CASH.

Witnesses:

`liEoRGE BIGELOW. Mms. l?. LoRD. 

